Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1887-11-12

Extinction c. the Buffalo.
Tho time was when bnifilo hunter
would have scornei the idea Of gather
ing up dry bones for wing. Indeed,
often happened that His Royal High
ness would not even deign 10 skin the
buffalo liat bis own rifle brought down.
But. thanks to his own reckless im-
providence, "Othello's' occupations
gone The buffalo are all dead. and
lac must choose between punching COWS
aud picking up bones. To this extent
the slain buffalo Is Il own ayenger
Al various points along the line of
the Northern Pacific Railway westward
from jamestown, OAK. buffalo bones
lay piled great heaps beside the track
waiting for sh pment. They are the
only monuments that remain to the
American Bison. which, to quote the
great original observation Of every
senderfoot "Once roamel in vast herds |
over these boundless prairies." In
short time even the bones " II be gath |
cred up. and nothing Whatever remain
10 mark the presence upon this earth |
Of 5000 600 bison at one time save
what can be found in the museums,
The geological gardens or The tertiary
deposits of the earth itself Could amy
war of EXTERN nat on he more complete
Dr. far-reaching 10 its results?
From the Red Buttcs onward you see
I where the millions have gone. This
was once famous buffalo range, and
aow the bleaching skeletons Il e scat
cred thickly all along the trail. Like
chastity monuments Of slaughter, these
lgly exercscenccs stand out in bold re-
JEFF on the smooth, hard surface of the
IRA rie from the huge bull skeletons.
wing close side the wagon trail TO
hose far buck in the bal lands, where
hey are nIerel dark specks in the dis
iance. They lie to-day. prec sely as
hes fell loar years ago, except that the
iesh is no longer upon them The
lead stretches far for ward. as # for its
ast gasp. aud the legs lie helplessiy
lpon the turf with prec sely t he same
curves rs when they moved for til last
lime.
Now anil then you come TO a place
: where the hunter got "stand" on a
"buncl,," and from his hid ng-plaee in
lie head of gull or among the rocks
I ired le surly " iii his 49-l20 Sharpe's
.iile. at the rate of a shot every two or
4 ihree minutes. until every buffalo of the
punch had fallen. Here you can count
: seventeen skeletons on little more
Z, han an acre. and near by there are
a .ourteen more that evidently fell atthc
same time. The powerful effect of the
strong. parching nds, and the in
Q enso dry heat of summer, has literally
j. stripped the flesh from the bones. but
d he skel etons lie prec sely rs they fell.
rhe bones airs still hell together by q
d ,ew Dr. cd.up ligamsnts. but are bleach
g II us white as snow. Sometimes we
: iound immence skeletons that were alb,
+ solutcly perfect. even TO The tiny car
|. val aud tarsal bones, the size OLA hazel
: ,nt. OF these dry skeletons we select
ii eight of the largest, aud they ar'
y low cached in tie sturage-rooms Of th'
le National Museum against the grea
ID lam nc for bison that will soon set in.
ID Beyond tho Red Bulles we wer'
seldom ont Of signt of bleaching skelc
II .ons. aud often forty OF fifty were il
&c sight At one me. Tie skinncrs al
D. WAYS left the heads Of the bulls unskin
As "a. and the thick hide has dried dow
q ipoa the skulls harder than the bon
be tseif holding tho tangled masses o
he shaggy fronllet tirmley in place I'M
le ii il beuches brown in the sunshine
be nd is finally worn away by wind an
d; weather. Many of these heads are 5
I'D perfectly preserved. and with thei
ie Ii ok masses Of wavy brown hair ar
adj 90 fresh looking, that the siaug hlcr {
its .he millions is brought ght down
n. ,he present aud IL seems To have bee
an .le work Of yesterday. W. can cndur
re lie sight OF the bones reasonably wei
.or We expect il; but those great hair
rs heads make us feel our loss most keen
ed ". AT first it is impossible 10 look ;
It'll lne without sigh. and each group I
skeletons brings back the oil thought
his utEh.t a nil, - - IDSgyt0nDiitdl